Canada’s federal government has launched an investigation into the use of foreign workers at a HD Mining International Ltd.’s coal mine in northern British Columbia, joining the provincial government, which opened an inquiry last week.
BC Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair, told News1130 that the Temporary Foreign Worker program is being abused, as the positions offered are not temporary. He added there is an ulterior motive in play.
HD Mining International Ltd. was granted a permit to bring Chinese miners to conduct exploration work at its proposed Murray River coal project near Tumbler Ridge, BC.
The company insists there weren’t any Canadian workers trained in the specialized skills it needs.
However, HD Mining has reportedly been using dubious recruiting practices, as it posted online want ads for six coal mine managers that stipulated Mandarin as a requisite.
According to the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training’s website, a company can be fined up to $10,000 if found guilty of breaching the province’s Employment Standards Act.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada will join forces to determine whether the company’s permit applications met all of the essential requirements.
8 Comments
H54
I can’t believe our government is letting this happen I am a coal miner and have applied at the Tumbler Ridge mines only to get no response , I am unemployed and have been doing this for twenty plus years and know miners from all over Canada that are sitting at home without work as I write this and can’t help but feel horribly let down . Wake up Canada your jobs are next !
lifeas
if you work hard , even work harder to looking for jobs , eventually you will get hired.
believe yourself.
not happy
Really, Really, tell me why I am paying for people on EI in the eastern provinces and then we bring in more people to work from overseas. Has our government heard of greyhound, ship people that are out of work to where work is, do not ship new workers in. Canada is selling itself off. If we actually go through with this. This means no job is safe in Canada and all the efforts of the past will be sold away. I am becoming discussed being a Canadian, no longer proud to be Canadian. Sorry, it is true.
Cole
10k? to a mining company? That’s like me dropping a dime in the coffee shop tip box
Tata
This will be a similar scenario in the Central African emerging iron ore province if the governments do not put in new regulations on the employment of foreign staff.
arty
In the minds of these Chinese people they will do anything to keep the cost down. circumventing Canadian law would be fine with them. The Company and its forginers should be sent packing back to where they came from. Any Canadians involved should go to jail. Enough of the forign influence.
Josh
I am i new miner… Just took my commoncore….. I would be a 3rd generation miner… Theres no one who will hier me…. I was born in canada and love it with all my heart. Whers my job? I paid money to work underground knowing its unsafe, but i cant get hierd???! WTF
bong
i agree with you,that’s true it’s not fair for the local workers to be replaced by foreign workers just to save the labor cost..